What went wrong today?

[Danishfurniturelover]

A throwback to the bad old days. We utterly underestimated the opposition, thinking all we had to do was turn up and we'd the game won. Sometimes it seems as though it doesn't matter who the manager is, what players they bring in, or anything else, for that matter, and that this is the only constant; that this recurring theme of lazy unprofessionalism is somehow built in to the fabric of the club like a virus.

I was saying this to my son in the car on the way home, it takes a long time to change the whole ethos of a club and how i explained it to him for his life is that he has to be the best from an early age and then it perpetuates from there. We as a club do not have the winning mentality, which is why though i do not agree with it i can see why avb takes the europa league seriously.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

Defoe is going to end his career without ever figuring out the offside rule. Playing him twice in a week made no sense. Why rest Soldado in the EL game?

Dawson is going to finish his career with us, without ever realising that long balls to Defoe who is being marked by guys at least 8 inches taller than him, do not work in terms of retaining possession.

Getting rid of BAE (on loan) was a mistake.

Assume you'll win at home and you run the risk of being humiliated. It'd happened to all the top teams this season, with the exception of Chelsea I think.

Think he was showing the fringe players they could force their way into the team, in theory it was the right thing to do, same as keeping townsend in the team. We should have kept it to 0-0 and then brought on soldado in the 75th minute to score the winner. At least we won't have to see defoe start in the league again this season unless of injuries.

As for defoe thinking he deserved his place in the team to show what he could do, he had the chance most of last season and if he could score on a regular basis we would have champs league this season, we gave defoe his chance last year and he failed to take it we owe him nothing.

 

[braineclipse]

I was saying this to my son in the car on the way home, it takes a long time to change the whole ethos of a club and how i explained it to him for his life is that he has to be the best from an early age and then it perpetuates from there. We as a club do not have the winning mentality, which is why though i do not agree with it i can see why avb takes the europa league seriously.

Interesting point about the EL, haven't thought of it as something that could have real positive long terms effects on the players and their attitude if we did win it...

 

[Pirate55]

To win any cup you need luck. The EL cost us big time today. To concentrate on the EL is extremely foolhardy IMO. When the teams from the CL join the competition, our chances of winning it are remote.

 

[billyiddo]

To win any cup you need luck. The EL cost us big time today. To concentrate on the EL is extremely foolhardy IMO. When the teams from the CL join the competition, our chances of winning it are remote.

Disagree - if we fancy ourselves as a top 4 side in the Prem then we should be confident of matching any CL drop out sides once they join. I think there are only two examples of a drop out going on to win the competition since it was brought in??

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

I agree about not focusing on the europa league, would think now with 6 points we could use the squad more, Lloris should certainly not travel to the away games and youngsters like stewart, bentlab and kane should be playing more.

That said i read comments from avb how he thinks winning can become like a habit, the europa league might be a bit **** but we have not even won the **** cup. So when we have won it maybe the players will start to think we can kick on. I remember gerrad saying something similar when they won the uefa, f.a. and league cup in one season that it gave them more belief.

 

[glorygloryeze]

I agree about not focusing on the europa league, would think now with 6 points we could use the squad more, Lloris should certainly not travel to the away games and youngsters like stewart, bentlab and kane should be playing more.

That said i read comments from avb how he thinks winning can become like a habit, the europa league might be a bit **** but we have not even won the **** cup. So when we have won it maybe the players will start to think we can kick on. I remember gerrad saying something similar when they won the uefa, f.a. and league cup in one season that it gave them more belief.

I agree with AVB on the general point; winning and breaking a cupless habit can have a tremendous effect on a squad overall. Just like the opposite has had an effect in recent times for the Woolwich mob.

However, starting Lloris in the away games does seem a bit like stretching things too far...would love to know why he played Dembele and Defoe for both games..

 

[Modric THFC]

its better than it was in the past AND he gets involved in play AND despite the people he is scoring again..he is our in form striker with a wide range of finishing techniques.

if you down play defoe's form due to opposition then please do it for everyone including your golden boy erik 'wow, he should never be criticsed for nothing' lamela.

as for soldado, boy needs to earn his place. first defoe gets a shot to be the first striker to score from open play after 8 games with solly coming off the bench...then ade....with solly coming off the bench

solly doesnt get in the starting 11 for me. show me something solly my man, i'm not getting analy probed just cause you're a sexy bit of skirt from spain....i'll leave that to people that think if you have an exotic name then you must be good

1 goal in 20 league games. Form of his life.

 

[sc25]

'Spurs have now scored just 33 goals in their 23 home games under AVB.'

And this, of course, has little or nothing to do with us playing in the Europa Cup.

We spent the first 20 mins today wasting time by passing back and forth across our own back 4. What was the point of it? What did it achieve? How is it entertaining? We're at home, against a team in the relegation zone, we have ambitions of top 4. Why not jump on them and get an early goal? And I'm thinking...the only way we'll win this today is if we nick a goal first - maybe from a penalty - and hold on for a 1-0.

Constantly playing intricate 5 yard triangle passes, sideways, backwards, predictable 1-2's....to absolutely no effect or end product whatsoever.

And we did nothing to change it. We saw that it wasn't working, yet kept doing the same thing, expecting a different result. We could have played until next week and we still wouldn't have scored.

I'm a Defoe fan, but no way - especially at this stage of his career - should he be expected to be the lone striker on a Top 4 team.

Dawson for their 3rd? Well, other teams/players have done their homework and they run at him. Even though we just gave him an extension, he wouldn't sniff any other top 4 side.

Obviously it was a bad day at the office, which happens. But you have to find ways to win those.

As for WH, I think they just drew up a blueprint for other teams coming to the Lane, so we'd best get used to it...and adjust.

 

[Modric THFC]

'Spurs have now scored just 33 goals in their 23 home games under AVB.'

And this, of course, has little or nothing to do with us playing in the Europa Cup.

We spent the first 20 mins today wasting time by passing back and forth across our own back 4. What was the point of it? What did it achieve? How is it entertaining? We're at home, against a team in the relegation zone, we have ambitions of top 4. Why not jump on them and get an early goal? And I'm thinking...the only way we'll win this today is if we nick a goal first - maybe from a penalty - and hold on for a 1-0.

Constantly playing intricate 5 yard triangle passes, sideways, backwards, predictable 1-2's....to absolutely no effect or end product whatsoever.

And we did nothing to change it. We saw that it wasn't working, yet kept doing the same thing, expecting a different result. We could have played until next week and we still wouldn't have scored.

I'm a Defoe fan, but no way - especially at this stage of his career - should he be expected to be the lone striker on a Top 4 team.

Dawson for their 3rd? Well, other teams/players have done their homework and they run at him. Even though we just gave him an extension, he wouldn't sniff any other top 4 side.

Obviously it was a bad day at the office, which happens. But you have to find ways to win those.

As for WH, I think they just drew up a blueprint for other teams coming to the Lane, so we'd best get used to it...and adjust.

Its the way our central midfield are set up. We have two players in there that don't want the ball off the defenders. They don't want to distribute it. They both better suited to winning the ball back than doing anything creative. We wouldnt be passing it back like that if Modric was still there. Eriksen or Holtby need to be in that central midfield at home.

 

[africanspurs]

1 goal in 20 league games. Form of his life.

dont be silly.

edit:- actually this si my fault...you read...scoring again...when it should actually read scoring againST

try the form guide now

 

[africanspurs]

I've never seen engaging the opposition defenders or working the channels as Defoe's strengths personally. No more (or less) so than Soldado.

Defoe always has a goal in him? I wrote a long ass post in the lack of goals thread partly about Defoe's contributions, I don't fully disagree or agree with you, but I can't be bothered repeating myself or writing another long ass post right now. For me though, both Defoe and Soldado need creativity behind them to perform.

Since you asked:According to whoscored Soldado has averaged 19.3 passes per game in 6 starts and one sub appearance. Today Defoe attempted 15.

those arent defoes strengths but i feel grouped together that they combine more than soldado

i think soldado needs support ALOT more than defoe does in order to score. no doubt about that

 

[Kingdawson]

Would you play Ade ahead of Soldado once he returns to fitness? Forgetting the likelihood of it, just what you would do

Not until we start losing or playing bad. I wouldn't change a winning formula and i'm annoyed AVB did just that yesterday.

 

[indianspur]

those arent defoes strengths but i feel grouped together that they combine more than soldado

i think soldado needs support ALOT more than defoe does in order to score. no doubt about that

i ask you, do we need a striker with the way AVB has us set up?......Ade and Defoe were ineffectual last season, it was Bale's goals that pushed us into challenging the top 4

this season, in the PL, our toughest competition, Soldado has struggled to score from open play and im sure had Defoe been in the starting line up he would have struggled too.

in the PL the way AVB has the team set up and the style he wants us to play is not striker friendly imo

 

[Timmy]

We clearly need more of that Holtby-attitude. In yesterdays starting 11, Paulinho was the only one who slightly looked like he wanted the ball, making himself available for passes by getting into spaces and looking like he wanted to win the game for Tottenham. Sigurdsson was hiding out on the left side not getting involved, Townsend was only looking to dribble and score for himself, Defoe was being himself at his worst, and the central midfield was busy being knocked off the ball or passing it to West Ham players. The players look satisfied just getting the ball away like they´re saying "Here, now it's your problem, you figure out what to do with it.." We need the players to at least look like they want to play football ffs. Holtby seems like the only one who genuinely loves playing for the team nowadays. The others only look like they love it when we score and win.

 

[Spursalot]

We weren't clinical enough. We had the chances to take the game away from west ham in the first half and we wasted them.


The second half should have been a formality, it's the premier league for ****s sake, you very rarely control a match for the whole 90 minutes.

 

[chancer]

I don't know how you guys can stomach discussing yesterday. I have to avoid football for 24 or 48 hours I feel so sick after something like that. No MOTD, no GG, no nothing. Ugh.

 

[mudshark]

'Spurs have now scored just 33 goals in their 23 home games under AVB.'

And this, of course, has little or nothing to do with us playing in the Europa Cup.

We spent the first 20 mins today wasting time by passing back and forth across our own back 4. What was the point of it? What did it achieve? How is it entertaining? We're at home, against a team in the relegation zone, we have ambitions of top 4. Why not jump on them and get an early goal? And I'm thinking...the only way we'll win this today is if we nick a goal first - maybe from a penalty - and hold on for a 1-0.

Constantly playing intricate 5 yard triangle passes, sideways, backwards, predictable 1-2's....to absolutely no effect or end product whatsoever.

And we did nothing to change it. We saw that it wasn't working, yet kept doing the same thing, expecting a different result. We could have played until next week and we still wouldn't have scored.

I'm a Defoe fan, but no way - especially at this stage of his career - should he be expected to be the lone striker on a Top 4 team.

Dawson for their 3rd? Well, other teams/players have done their homework and they run at him. Even though we just gave him an extension, he wouldn't sniff any other top 4 side.

Obviously it was a bad day at the office, which happens. But you have to find ways to win those.

As for WH, I think they just drew up a blueprint for other teams coming to the Lane, so we'd best get used to it...and adjust.

According to AVB, "the game started at 100mph for both teams." I have to say I don't know what game he was watching, if he can say that. The first half was an utter bore-fest, especially from the Spurs point-of-view. We had about ten minutes at the start of the second half when it looked as though we might actually have woken up, but that was all about it.

 

[Huddy]

I don't know how you guys can stomach discussing yesterday. I have to avoid football for 24 or 48 hours I feel so sick after something like that. No MOTD, no GG, no nothing. Ugh.

I'm the same. What with the international break this is going to be a long two weeks.

 

[NLS]

I'll start my rant with a question.....

How many goals have Defoe and Soldado scored (not including the 2 Soldado penalties) in the league in 2013?

The answer almost unbelievably is ONE... Yes, one goal.

It was obvious that playing a lone, small striker was not producing anywhere enough goals so what do we do in the summer......we buy another one. Both Defoe and Soldado are hardly ever on the ball and are no real threat outside the box.

We should have spent £25 million on Benteke - quick, strong, big and six years younger than Soldado. To have not bought a striker of his type is shamefully neglectful and if not rectified in January we have no chance of top four as we are just not, and will not, score enough goals.

There were obviously also other things wrong yesterday which other people have already mentioned so won't repeat all of them but this lack of a real threat upfront has been there since Berbatov left. Adebayor has occasionally but the problems with him have been discussed many times.....We need him back as an option soon though unfortunately.

I'm sure people will disagree with me but just one league goal from our lone striker in 2013 ( still shaking my head in disbelief as I type ) means something is seriously wrong..